Massachusetts state legislators yesterday voted to approve the new Statehouse district map proposed last month, which offers greater political clout to traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
The Massachusetts Senate voted unanimously on the redistricted Senate map, while the House voted 151−3 to approve its new map. Both maps were sent to Gov. Deval Patrick for his approval after the two bodies passed one another's map.
The state is required to redistrict every 10 years following the release of new census data. The 2010 Census reflected significant demographic changes in the state over the past decade.
The new maps will impact traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, doubling the number of House districts in which over half of the population is composed of non−white individuals. The number of Senate districts in which traditionally underrepresented groups are the majority has also increased from two to three.
Areas such as Boston, Lowell, Springfield, Worcester, and Somerville have witnessed recent rises in their immigrant population, according to State Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D−Somerville). She said that the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting focused on keeping communities containing high percentages of traditionally underrepresented groups within the same district so that they could elect a representative from their community, Jehlen said.
Under the revised map, each district now contains about 41,000 people, according to State Rep. Sean Garballey (D−Arlington).
The redistricting committee focused on creating an equal distribution of population across districts, Jehlen said. In doing so, it works to avoid dividing cities and towns between different districts.
As a consequence of local redistricting, State Rep. Carl Sciortino (D−Medford, LA '00) will gain one new precinct. Garballey, who currently represents 15 precincts in Arlington and three in West Medford, will add one new precinct in Arlington to his district.
"My goal was to keep the district the same," Garballey said. "I wanted to represent everything that I was representing. I built a strong coalition of issues and worked with all of my constituents to improve the quality of life in the 23rd Middlesex District."
Voters were invited to participate in the process of redistricting, according to Garballey, one of the state's 20 House members affiliated with the committee responsible for the redistricting process.
"It was a very collaborative process with the people of the Commonwealth. We had 13 hearings across the state. We had hearings in every congressional district," Garballey said.
The nation has also reallocated seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to reflect the new census data, and as a result, Massachusetts, which has been growing at a slower rate than other states, will lose one of its 10 congressional seats beginning in Jan. 2013.
"The state population has grown but not as rapidly as some other states, which means that when the congressional seats are reapportioned among the states, we actually lose one congressional seat," Sciortino told the Daily.
